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Article: Da Silva ahead as Brazilians head to polls.
- Article from:
- Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
- Article date:
- October 3, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Chicago Tribune. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Patrice M. Jones
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva, the leading candidate to become Brazil's next president, has had little trouble casting himself as a Brazilian everyman.
He grew up poor, hawking peanuts in the street as a kid and losing a finger working in a metals factory as a teenager. Earthy, charismatic and an electric orator, da Silva pushed his way to the top of Brazil's labor movement, growing into a leftist icon as he took on Brazil's former military regime.
But da Silva's populist touch has so far failed him as a political candidate. The 56-year-old Workers Party stalwart has lost three runs at the ...